This November, I was proud to stand with Gov. Nathan Deal as he announced that Georgia was rated No. 1 by the go-to publication for economic development professionals, Site Selection Magazine, as the best state in the nation to do business. When Gov. Deal ran for office in 2010, he promised that by the end of his first term, Georgia would achieve this honor.
This is great news for the state and the Atlanta region. However, for us to maintain the No. 1 ranking on an annual basis, we must invest in infrastructure.
One area where we have a glaring disconnect is our regional transit system. Actually, I would argue we don’t have a regional transit system; we have a very fragmented system where different entities do not communicate or coordinate with each other.
To further prove my point, earlier this year, I embarked on a transit trip from Kennesaw State University to the Gwinnett Arena. It was only a 32-mile trip, but it took me almost four hours. Each system I rode was clean, service was good, and I felt safe. But to plan my trip, I had to go to three different websites, and once I crossed jurisdictional lines to another system, I had to pay with a different method of payment.
Having to go through this process with no coordination is not good service for our current riders and surely will not attract new riders.
There are two types of transit riders: lifeline riders who do not own a car and depend on transit, and the lifestyle rider who has a car but rides transit. This summer, we held a Senate study committee on this issue and looked at the four big transit entities in metro Atlanta: MARTA, GRTA (Georgia Regional Transportation Authority) and the Cobb and Gwinnett transit systems.
We believe that if we can get these four agencies to come together to coordinate and communicate, we can make great strides in developing a regional system that will be good for our customers.
The action that came out of the committee was to develop one website for trip-planning purposes by consumers. This new website will be www.goATLtransit.com.
With the website being the first step, the end goal is to have the four transit agencies come together as one regional transit entity and then re-brand all four into The Atlanta Transit Line (The ATL).
Someone from out of town would fly into ATL and get on an ATL train, ATL bus or ATL Express Bus. This would be less confusing than all the current alphabet systems. We are not asking to add new lines or new agencies; we want to take our current assets and make them more efficient and consumer friendly.
If we are going to be a world-class region and maintain our No. 1 position in the economic development business, we cannot continue with a fragmented transit system. We owe it to our employers and citizens to offer best in class service.
I look forward in the near future to riding on the ATL.
State Sen. Brandon Beach, R-Alpharetta, represents the 21st district, which includes portions of Cherokee and Fulton counties.
